


The Itch You Can't Scratch

by jacobby



Series: Visits from the Other Side of the Door [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Friendship, Humor, M/M, Pining, chatfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 10:38:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14809781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacobby/pseuds/jacobby
Summary: “So Sakura, huh?”“Yeah.”“Good luck with that.”“I have a feeling I should say the same to you.”AKAAn exploration of Sasuke and Ino's friendship because of Sasuke's pining throughout the years.





	The Itch You Can't Scratch

**Author's Note:**

> this has been sitting in my computer for months now begging to be posted. it's supposed to be a part of a multi-chaptered fic, but i never got around to the others, so i might as well post this bc im pretty proud of it, if im being honest. i wanted to make my own chatfic with a realistic undertone to it. it's really more self-indulgent than anything. and i do believe and uphold that sasuke and ino's friendship should be a legit thing in the canon.
> 
> ((fair warning, there's a small kiss there (and i do mean a really tiny kiss) between a character who's asleep and the one who initiated the kiss. not sure what to tag that or if it's worth tagging at all, but if it makes anyone uncomfortable, tread carefully.))
> 
> edit: i changed the layout a bit bc indention does not work well with ao3 :/  
> edit2: another fuck up with the layout. i accidentally erased words from last time's edit and i never noticed :///  
> 

> ** iMessage **
> 
> Fri, 03/29/2013
> 
> **Ino Yamanaka** [ _4:14PM_ ]  
>  asshol.
> 
> **Sasuke Uchiha** [ _4:30PM_ ]  
>  ??

Sasuke was still on the couch when Naruto had gone. He nodded his goodbye, eyes glued to the screen as the blond left. When Naruto closed the front door on his way out, Sasuke paused his game. The word ‘pause’ blinked at him, and he blinked back just as much, counting every time it disappeared and reappeared again. It reached 27 in total, before he sunk in his seat and groaned. The disappointment bubbling in his stomach was starting to get too obvious recently, no matter how hard Sasuke tried to fight it off. He would look at Naruto walking the other way, his back turned from him as he marches on for duties a middle school student like them would need to do.

Sasuke was left alone in his home. His brother was still in school, overachieving his ass off. His mother and father were still at work, and wouldn’t be home until at least six in the evening. He decided to grab a snack and watch some dumb cartoons to pass the time when he heard a loud rapping at the door.

His heart leapt as a flash of blond hair and blue eyes crossed his mind, but he dismissed it as quickly as it came. He peaked through the window to make sure it wasn’t a stranger, and was mildly surprised to see Ino at their patio, tears streaming down her eyes.

“Open up, you jerk!” she screamed.

Sasuke hurried to the door to unlock it. He pulled Ino inside by the hand. “I think the whole neighborhood just heard you,” he deadpanned. It only made Ino’s crying worse.

He led her to the couch, prompting her to sit down in hopes of calming her down. She was the second girl after Sakura that cried to him today, and he really wasn’t up for any more drama before he had anything to eat. He headed to the kitchen, grabbed two pieces of bread, and then headed back to the living room where he left a sniffling Ino. He offered her the other piece of bread, which she took without missing a beat.

“Why are you here?”

Ino was silent for a few seconds, still trying to tame her tears from falling. When she finally regained some composure, she said, “I told Sakura that I liked you,” which earned a palm to the face from Sasuke.

“Not you, too,” he groaned.

“No! I don’t like you! I only told her that so she’d back off. I didn’t know she’d plan to confess at all.”

“You’re not making any sense.” The bread really wasn’t helping his mood. He faced Ino, who was on one end of the couch. He crossed his legs and rested his elbow on the backrest. His chin was on his knuckles as he assessed his friend’s shaking figure. “Start from the beginning.”

Ino sniffled. “Last week, Sakura had been telling me that she liked someone from school. She wouldn’t tell me who, and I really wanted to know. So I told her that I liked you, because she might tell me who she liked if I told her a secret, y’know?”

“You like me?”

“No! Gross. Let me finish. It turns out, she has a crush on _you_. I didn’t know what else to do, so I told her that I was gonna confess to you tomorrow and that you already promised to take me out on a Saturday where it’s just the two of us and that it wouldn’t be weird because we were already close friends because I thought it’d discourage her from confessing.”

“You lied to her because you fake-like me?”

“No.”

“But you told her you liked me!”

“Don’t raise your voice on me, you jerk!”

“So, you lied to her that you fake-like me, because why?”

“Because!”

“Because why?”

“Just because.”

“Ino!”

“Because I like Sakura, okay! I like-like her. As in, more than a friend. And I don’t want her ending up with jerks like you!”

Needless to say, Sasuke was taken aback. He raised his head from where it sat on his knuckles. All of this drama, because Ino likes Sakura? And he was still trying to completely comprehend the statement. Ino _like likes_ Sakura. Ino, the blond beauty goddess who can make all the boys in school fall over for her with just a little bounce in her step, and a wink over her shoulder. Ino, one of Sasuke’s oldest and closest friends who he thought he had all figured out.

“You’re…a lesbian?”

There was a lapse in the conversation as Ino just stared at him, eyes wide as if realizing something for the very first time. She dipped her head alongside a sob. “I don’t know! How the _fuck_ am I supposed to know?!”

“Uh… Sorry? Hey? Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. Ino? I—I rejected Sakura, if that’s what you want to hear?”

“You did?”

“I kinda made her cry, though.”

Sasuke could barely register the impact of the throw pillow on his face.

“See! You’re such a jerk!”

“I told her nicely! Naruto told me to let her down nicely and directly. So I did just that. I even practiced what I was supposed to say with him. Naruto didn’t wanna leave before Sakura stopped crying, too, so I kinda had to stay so the three of us could talk it out.”

“Naruto did that?”

“Yes. I mean.” Sasuke heaved a heavy sigh. “The three of us used to be close when we were in the same class. It was like old times, so we were able to clear things. I still hurt Sakura. But I also think that she was able to think about what she really felt more after we cleared the air.”

“Because of Naruto?”

“Kind of, yeah.”

“Does Sakura like Naruto now?”

“God, I hope not.” _Shit._

“What?”

“What?” Sasuke was not going to dwell. The disappointing feeling in his stomach went back, now with a hint of nervousness that radiated from his heart towards the rest of his chest.

“You don’t want Sakura to like Naruto?”

His heart skipped a beat. “Uh.”

“You like Naruto, don’t you?”

And another _._ “As if anyone in their right minds could like an idiot like him.”

“Sure.”

“So Sakura, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Good luck with that.”

“I have a feeling I should say the same to you.”

 

* * *

 

> ** iMessage **
> 
> Sat, 03/29/2014
> 
> **Sasuke Uchiha** [ _5:15 PM_ ]  
>  Ino. Emergency. Come rescue me.  
>  Ino. Come over. Now.
> 
> [ _5:18 PM_ ]  
>  Ino.
> 
> **Ino** [ _5:19 PM_ ]  
>  what the fuck. im on my way, be there in five.
> 
> **Sasuke Uchiha** [ _5:22 PM_ ]  
>  Hurry.
> 
> **Ino** [ _5:30 PM_ ]  
>  almost there. dont do anything dumb. <3

 

Sasuke stared at his phone without paying much attention to the words anymore. He was unmoving on his bed, holding up the device over his head with both his hands. The screen slowly dimmed seconds after, and just as it locked automatically after 30 seconds of idleness, the door to his room opened.

He didn’t bother speaking. Ino didn’t really care whether Sasuke spoke or not.

She laid down beside him on the bed, the open side as Sasuke had taken refuge on the one directly adjacent a wall. She linked her fingers atop her belly, and Sasuke did the same, still with his phone in hand.

“When you said emergency,” Ino said, humor laced in her voice, “this isn’t exactly what I expected.”

Sasuke turned to his side, which prompted Ino to do the same, facing him.

“Hey, what happened?” There was still a smile on her lips, but her eyebrows knitted together in concern.

Silence.

“Hey, what the hell? Spill, Sasuke.”

“Ino.”

“What?”

“Ino.”

“Okay, Sasuke, what the fuck—”

“I kissed him.”

For a moment, Ino just stared. “You have balls, Uchiha.”

“He was asleep.”

“Ya sure ‘bout that?”

“No.”

Ino lied down on her back again, staring up at the ceiling this time. It was late in the afternoon, and the emerging sunset has tinted it with an orange hue, alongside the surrounding powder blue walls. “This is a little poetic,” Ino murmured. “I never said this before, but you’ve got a nice view in here when the sun goes down. Almost like the world’s been conspiring against you from the very beginning.”

“What do you mean?”

But she only shook her head.

“Do you think we’ll be okay?”

Ino sighed. She sat up and leaned back on the headboard. She started to play with Sasuke’s hair, and he wasn’t so certain if the display of comfort was a good or a bad sign. He almost wanted to push Ino’s hand away, but decided against it as he was the one who had called her up to go to his house in the first place. “You’ve known Naruto longer than I have, Sasuke. But even I know that he only has his best to give for everyone. And I know that he reserves only the best of the best for you. Everything usually works out with him. He might be an oblivious idiot—”

“You’re not wrong there.”

She pulled a fringe hard enough for his scalp to sting. “Wasn’t finished talking. He’s an oblivious idiot, yes. But with Naruto, I dunno. I feel like there’s something about him that says everything will be fine for the both of you.”

“Specifically the both of us?”

“Specifically.”

“Can’t gauge if that’s good or bad.”

“It’s good.” There was an exasperation to her voice. “It should be. I just can’t imagine it any other way, to be honest.”

“And by that, you mean…?”

“It’s not difficult to see Naruto liking you back.”

“How can you tell?” Sasuke tried to look as calm as he could, despite the desperation he was feeling in his chest. He sat up, resting his elbows on his knees and his cheeks on his knuckles.

“Woman’s intuition, blah, blah, blah. You still haven’t told me the full story.” Ino leaned forward, as if waiting for the latest gossip to spread around school.

“Do I really have to?”

“You text me, telling me it’s an emergency, making me freak out enough that I had to bail out on my study date with Sakura, so you can leave me hanging? ‘Oh, Ino! Please come rescue me. It’s an emergency!’ No, Sasuke. Not happening.”

“You bailed on Sakura to come to my rescue?” Sasuke said dryly. “Wow. Didn’t know our friendship already ran this deep.”

“You’re such a dick, you know that? Well? What happened? And I mean details, Uchiha.”

Sasuke sighed. He had been on this side of the conversation for far too long to not understand what Ino was trying to get from him. Granted, Ino liked hearing a few gossips here and there, most of them from Sakura, but sometimes, Sasuke got a hand in telling her a few dirt on some classmates as well. Mostly, if anyone tried to flirt with Naruto. However, Ino was never one to spread them, no matter who it was about. So, he began recalling, as best as he could that his cheeks didn’t flush randomly.

“We went here immediately after school. We were dicking around—”

“Sounds gay.”

“I mean, right? So yeah, video games. Food. Punching.”

“Now, that just sounds abusive.”

Sasuke shrugged. “Maybe. We were pretty tired after thirty minutes, so we decided to take a nap before he heads home.”

“And that’s when you kissed him?”

Sasuke lowered his head, before covering his face with his hands. “He woke up three minutes later. And I know, because I counted. Three minutes. Naruto usually sleeps like a log, but he wakes up immediately after I kiss him? Hell, he can’t even wake up even after I slap him in the face a couple of times. Anyway, we just talked some more, played some more video games, then he went home.”

“So, he was pretty normal?”

“Pretty normal, yeah.”

“You’re blushing.”

“Shut up.”

“You have it bad.”

“What the fuck am I supposed to do, Ino? He’s going to hate me. He wasn’t asleep. Fuck, I’m so dumb. Why does he have to be so fucking perfect? His hair is so blond. Blonder than yours. And his eyes are so fucking blue. Bluer than yours. He just looked so peaceful…and my impulse got the best of me.”

“First of all: ouch. Second, this is freaking me out. Why are you so gross today?” Ino’s brows furrowed, but her lips were pursed to keep in a fit of giggles.

Sasuke groaned in frustration.

“Okay. Let me just…think for a second.”

Sasuke did not open up to a lot of people. Ino was an exception, given that they have been friends since they were children.

Whenever Sasuke had heard Ino talk about her feelings for Sakura, how she had dealt with the confusion, he would pay attention and assess his own emotional storms. Three weeks after Ino’s confession, Sasuke had been more certain that how he felt for Naruto transcended friendship. He disclosed this to Ino, who already knew anyway. Since then, Sasuke had been more conscious of himself around Naruto, which, he thought, was better than being confused and unaccepting of himself.

“Sasuke, you gonna bring it up?”

“Nah.”

“Suit yourself. Although, as your friend, I order you to at least consider asking him out.”

“I don’t think friends order each other around.”

“Eh. I’m an exception alongside your little boyfriend.”

Sasuke shook his head. “Anyway, how’s Sakura?”

A small smile lingered on Ino’s lips. “She’s good. She still needs more time, to think about it. But, y’know, she’s allowing me to…win her affections? So, it’s good. I feel a bit in control.”

Sasuke’s chest felt acidic. His chest had gone cold, and he couldn’t understand completely where it had come from. But he did realize on thing: telling Naruto wouldn’t put him in control. Everything was too dependent on Naruto that he didn’t want to risk any of it. He never believed he could tell him any time soon, but he didn’t lie when he said he’ll consider.

A small consideration won’t hurt, right?

“Hey, Sasuke?”

“Hm?”

“I’m eating dinner here. I already told your mom.”

Sasuke blinked. “Again, when did our friendship get so deep?”

 

* * *

 

 

> ** iMessage **
> 
> Sat, 03/28/2015
> 
> **Sasuke Uchiha** [ _3:18 PM_ ]  
>  Where are you? First batch of dangos are done.  
>  Oops itachi just finished all of it.  
>  Where are you?
> 
> **lesbian best friend** [ _3:22 PM_ ]  
>  tell itachi to stuff it.  
>  just finished makin out with my girlfriend  
>  save some for me. fuckin love your mom’s cooking.
> 
> **Sasuke Uchiha** [ _3:23 PM_ ]  
>  Gross.  
>  The making out part. My mom’s cooking is bomb.  
>  Hurry, second batch is almost done.
> 
> **lesbian best friend** [ _3:25 PM_ ]  
>  on your street.  
>  RUNnnig  
>  runging  
>  opn the dor outsde

 

“When’re you coming out to your parents?” Sasuke asked.

They were on his bed sitting across each other. The bed tray bearing the dangos was between them. They both crossed their legs, Ino harboring the side by the headboard, while Sasuke sat nearer the leg of the bed.

“Soon,” Ino answered after swallowing her dango. “Very soon. Maybe next weekend.”

Ino and Sakura’s relationship had progressed immensely. They had been an official couple for six months now. The first two months was kept secret, only known to the couple and Sasuke, who Ino had frequent discussions with regarding the nature of their relationship, and she would always voice out encouraging—and mildly threatening—words that might help Sasuke muster up the courage to finally ask his blond idiot out on a date.

Coming out was only one of the topics of their many conversations, but it was, no doubt, the heaviest to manage.

Should he have a friend who was unaccepting of who he was, he would just cut ties with that person, considering they weren’t a very good friend in the first place. Although, his friends have been proven worthy, since after Ino had told their group that she and Sakura had been dating, they were nothing but welcoming and warm to them. Some even guessed it all along, and money was handed down from person to person because of some bet they made months ago.

The real problem lied in Sasuke’s family. He knew his mother and his brother would be fine with it, but his father was a different story. Fugaku was a little more close-minded than the rest, and the scary part was Sasuke cannot figure out what his reaction would be should he find out that Sasuke was gay. Would he be okay with it? Would he disown Sasuke? The gray area was even worse, because it really could be anything.

His avoidance of asking Naruto out was also due to the fact that he was still closeted. He didn’t want to offer up a relationship, only to say that they have to keep it secret until Sasuke got the balls to come out. He knew Naruto pretty well, and making himself known in a crowd of strangers was one of his defining attributes. It would only be fair that Naruto was given the chance to shine as Sasuke’s boyfriend.

That is, if Naruto was interested in the first place.

Not to mention, his friends were all very suspecting of his sexuality and his relationship with Naruto to begin with. If he vocalized anything, they’d only tease him and Naruto non-stop, something he could already barely stand. 

“I’m assuming Sakura is going to be with you?”

“Yeah. She just came out to her parents last week, and they have been great. They even took us out to dinner.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” Ino deadpanned. “And you? You figured out your life plan yet?”

“My life plan. Yes. When I’m coming out. Not exactly.”

“Till when’re you gonna keep Naruto waiting? A relationship with that boy might help your bitchy hormones.”

“My hormones are not bitchy.” Sasuke crossed his arms.

“See? Bitchy hormones.”

“How can you even be so sure that I want to be in a relationship?”

“Just any relationship. No. A relationship with Naruto. Yes.” Ino threw a box of Kleenex at Sasuke, hitting him straight in the forehead. It made a dull _smack_ at the impact, and then fell between Sasuke’s legs. “Masturbation is one thing. But—”

“ _Christ,_ Ino. Can you please shut up?”

“Just saying,” she singsonged as she threw her empty skewer at Sasuke’s chest.

Sasuke picked it up and set it on the table. He shot the Kleenex back at Ino with a gentle lift. It landed just in front of her legs and bounced on the bed. He kept quiet, still a little shaken.

When the silence lingered, Ino grabbed another skewer of dango and bit of a piece before speaking. “You know,” she said while having a mouthful. She downed the rest of the food with a gulp of Coke. “I heard from Shika who heard from Neji who heard from Tenten that Hinata has a crush on Naruto.”

“I did, actually. Hinata has always had this crush on Naruto since we were younger.”

“What?! And you never told me? I thought you told me everything!”

“Naruto isn’t interested, so I never gave it a lot of thought. It’s not like Hinata does anything about it anyway.”

“But we’re gay best friends, Sasuke. Does this mean nothing to you?” There was a little bit of mockery in her tone, and glint of humor in her expression. She animatedly sunk behind his hands.

“Right. The Gay BFF’s Handbook clearly states that this is a violation to its cause. How could I have ever been so reckless?” Sasuke said dryly, which earned a laugh from Ino. “I think my family thinks you and I are kinda dating.”

“Heh, I wouldn’t be surprised. I hang out here almost every other week. My dad thinks I’m dating Shikamaru. But hey, when has he haven’t, right?”

“Is…” Sasuke head tilted to the side in uncertainty. “Is that why you haven’t come out yet?”

“A little bit,” Ino admitted, with her head dipped, chin resting on her chest. “My dad and Mr. Nara had always joked around that Shika and I would be a cute couple one day. They were childhood best friends, y’know? Shikamaru and I were pretty much destined to be best friends from the very beginning. Hell, we were probably destined to marry in our dads’ heads, but some gay god seem to want to have a say in that.” She chuckled, albeit a little sadly. “I don’t want to disappoint him, Sasuke.”

“You won’t.” And Sasuke truly believed that Mr. Yamanaka was one to accept whoever Ino was in open arms.

“Can’t help but have that ingrained in my brain, though. Shikamaru had told me since day one that he really did not care about what our dads say. Said it was too troublesome to marry me.”

“I have to agree with Shikamaru there.” The box of Kleenex was back on Sasuke’s side of the bed again, this time hitting him on the shoulder.

“You dick.”

“Hey,” Sasuke called out for Ino to face him. Once their eyes met, he said, “I think… it’s very brave of you to come out, Ino. I’m sure your father and all of our friends would be proud of you.”

“Who the fuck are you and what have you done to Sasuke?”

 

* * *

 

 

> ** Messenger **
> 
> **lesbihonest**
> 
> Wed, 02/03/2016
> 
> _lesbihonest has removed her nickname.  
>  Ino Yamanaka has removed emo gay’s nickname._
> 
> Sat, 03/26/2016
> 
> **Sasuke Uchiha** [ _6:13 PM_ ]  
>  Its that time of the year. Come over.
> 
> **Ino Yamanaka** [ _6:15 PM_ ]  
>  what the fuck sasuke  
>  fuck u
> 
> **Sasuke Uchiha** [ _6:16 PM_ ]  
>  Please?  
>  Ino.
> 
> [ _6:23 PM_ ]  
>  Ino. Please?
> 
> [ _6:40_ _PM_ ]  
>  There’s leftover alcohol.  
>  My parents are away on a business trip.
> 
> **Ino Yamanaka** [ _6:43 PM_ ]  
>  fuck
> 
> [ _6:58 PM_ ]  
>  i’ll be there in 10.

 

“You’re such a _dick,_ Uchiha,” Ino screamed.

“I know!” Sasuke slurred, voice rising. He covered his mouth, surprised at the intensity. “I know,” he said in a whisper.

How much had he and Ino drank? He took a look at the bottles by the floor. His brother left half a bottle of tequila and a full bottle of vodka when he visited from university. So far, Ino and Sasuke had finished the entirety of the tequila and one-fourth of the vodka.

“Naruto cried to me, you fuckin’ dick! Naruto cried. It physically hurt me to see him crying, his blue fuckin eyes and that blond mop on his head he has the _gall_ to call his hair. What the fuck? I just wanted to wrap him in a blanket and take care of that idiot. Like, I get how you feel now.”

Sasuke hit Ino with a pillow, but his arms gave out just as the pillow had gained momentum. He groaned, and tried to hit her again. “He’s mine. You fucking bitch, he’s mine.”

Ino pushed the pillow away, which lingered just in front of her face and brushed against her nose. “You haven’t spoken to him in a month. Because why? You can’t handle being friends with the man you love? You coward!”

Sasuke covered his ears with his hands. Ino really needed to shut the fuck up. It wasn’t Sasuke’s fault Naruto didn’t want him anymore. It wasn’t Sasuke’s fault that he wanted to protect himself even if it meant having to stay away from his best friend who he fuckin’ loved. And—

“Shit. I love Naruto.”

“No shit, dumbass. Get it together.”

“Ugh, I’m such an idiot.”

“Hey, Sasuke. Let me just…” Ino crawled up to the top of the bed, not unlike a sedated sloth climbing up a tree to get its lunch. She plopped down the soft mattress and released a satisfied hum. “Fuck this feels good.”

Sasuke was on the floor, back on his blue carpet. His arms covered his eyes, finding the light a little too bright for his drunken state. They just lied down on their respective spots for, what Sasuke thought, must have been thirty minutes.

“Naruto really cried?” he asked. He was afraid to, but all of his defenses were shut down. It was now or never.

“Yes.”

The atmosphere was still hazy, but Sasuke appreciated Ino’s lowered voice. It was easier to blink away the tears when he was actually able to focus on himself.

“What did you even fight about, Sasuke?” Ino shifted in the bed.

“I…got jealous.” His voice was barely a whisper. Ino knew Sasuke never liked it when anyone made a move on Naruto, but he can’t help but feel like a scumbag.

“What?”

“I said I was fuckin’ jealous, Ino.” His voice was loud, but it lacked the force he wanted to convey. It came out sloppy and slow. Sasuke was disgusted with himself.

“Of _what_?” Ino was back to her exasperation.

“That girl he’s with now!”

“What _girl_!?”

“From Gaara’s school!” Sasuke’s arms gestured forward.

“Naruto was never with any girl! If you paid attention, you’d know. He can’t even go past a day without moping about you.”

“ _What!?” What?_ Naruto was with a girl. Sasuke saw her _kiss_ him on the cheek. The girl with the averagely shaped breasts and the bleached blond hair. She kissed him for fuck’s sake!

“What the… Oh.”

Fuck. Did he just say those things out loud?

“I’m telling Temari you called her breasts average.”

Temari. So that’s her name. Sasuke felt betrayed. Not only was she dating Naruto, she was close enough with Ino that she would rat on him. “But Ino…” Sasuke’s throat tightened. What a fucking joke. Sasuke could feel himself sniffling, although it was really more like an out-of-body experience. The entirety of being drunk was an out-of-body experience.

“Fuck. Are you crying?”

Another sob. He wrapped his head in his arms in an attempt to muffle the sounds he was making.

“Sasuke. This is so… Fuck, I don’t know what to do here.”

Embarrassed could not even begin to describe what Sasuke was feeling, but he couldn’t stop either. As much as he wanted to, his body won’t let him. As he let out a cough, he heard Ino yelp, and was overwhelmed by a sudden blow to his stomach. He sat up a little too quickly, and could feel the liquid in his stomach slosh. The nausea hit him hard, and it took all of his strength to push Ino far enough that her clothes wouldn’t be stained by his vomit. Well, most of her clothes at least.

Next thing he knew, he was lifted up to his feet by strong arms. Damn, Ino must’ve been doing her exercises.

“I have been, thanks for noticing.”

Sasuke groaned. Ino led him outside, towards the common bathroom. Once there, he threw up the rest of the contents in his stomach. Puking turned to dry heaving, and dry heaving to turned a fit of coughs from his constricted throat. He was handed a glass of water, God bless Ino, and he drank it slowly.

“Thanks.”

“Shut up.” Ino yanked his shirt over his head. “Go take a bath. You stink.”

Sasuke walked up to the bathtub and nearly slipped as he got in.

“You’re fucking hopeless.”

If he thought he lost his dignity when he cried, he was really in for a treat when Ino turned on the shower and _started washing him._

“Take of your boxers. Your dick won’t scare me; I saw that thing when we were seven.”

_Fuck._

“I said shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You did. Now stop talking.”

Sasuke took off his boxers and let himself be washed. He was starting to regret his decision to invite Ino over. When Ino was finished with whatever the fuck she was doing, she pushed Sasuke out of the bathroom and towards his bedroom. It no longer smelled like alcohol and vomit. It was clean; the vomit was gone and so were the bottles and shot glasses. There were pajamas laid out for him on his bed. He slipped in them and slid into his blankets as carefully as he could without losing his footing and hitting his head hard on the floor.

Man. His sheets did feel amazing.

The door opened, and Ino came in, already dressed up in Sasuke’s shirt and boxers.

“Get out of the bed. I’m sleeping there.”

Sasuke opened his mouth but no words came out. Instead, he turned to the other side facing the wall and pulled the blanket over his head.

“Oh, fuck you. I’m not sleeping on the couch. Move.”

And he did. Moments later, he fell asleep, and he could not imagine a shittier slumber in his 15 years of existence.

 

* * *

 

 

> ** Messenger **
> 
> **Ino Yamanaka (Online)**
> 
> Sun, 03/27/2016
> 
> **Ino Yamanaka** [ _3:15 PM_ ]  
>  im home safe. hows ur head?
> 
> **Sasuke Uchiha** [ _3:17 PM_ ]  
>  I want to die.
> 
> **Ino Yamanaka** [ _3:17 PM_ ]  
>  not yet. u still have to apologize.
> 
> **Sasuke Uchiha** [ _3:19 PM_ ]  
>  And youre sure naruto and this temari chick arent dating?
> 
> **Ino Yamanaka** [ _3:20 PM_ ]  
>  ye. im sure. ill let naruto tell u the story.
> 
> **Sasuke Uchiha** [ _3:23 PM_ ]  
>  Im an idiot, arent I?
> 
> **Ino Yamanaka** [ _3:25 PM_ ]  
>  top tier grade a idiot  
>  now go back to sleep
> 
>  
> 
> Tue, 03/29/2016
> 
> **Ino Yamanaka** [ _6:18 AM_ ]  
>  i see everything’s back to normal
> 
> **Sasuke Uchiha** [ _6:20 AM_ ]  
>  A little. Things are still a bit awkward.  
>  We’re working on it.  
>  Naruto told you?
> 
> **Ino Yamanaka** [ _6:22 AM_ ]  
>  nah.  
>  kiba tweeted a photo.    
>  congrats.
> 
> **Sasuke Uchiha** [ _6:25 AM_ ]  
>  Thanks.  
>  Are we okay now?
> 
> **Ino Yamanaka** [ _6:30 AM_ ]  
>  i washed ur drunk ass.  
>  what do u think?
> 
>  
> 
> _Sasuke Uchiha changed his nickname to emo idiot  
>  emo idiot changed Ino Yamanaka’s nickname to amazing best friend._
> 
> **amazing best friend** [ _6:35 AM_ ]  
>  did u just  
>  give yourself a nickname???  
>  did u just give ME one??  
>  I NEVER THOUGHT ID SEE THE DAY.
> 
> **emo idiot** [ _6:40 AM_ ]  
>  Whatever. See you in school.

 

 

* * *

 

 

> ** Messenger **
> 
> **original charlie’s angel (Online)**
> 
> Sat, 03/25/2017
> 
> **fake charlie’s angel** [ _6:12 PM_ ]  
>  Ill be at the park if things don’t go well.
> 
> **original charlie’s angel** [ _6:12 PM_ ]  
>  good luck.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Sat, 03/25/2017
> 
> **original charlie’s angel** [ _8:05 PM_ ]  
>  sasuke howd it go?
> 
> [ _8:10_ ]  
>  sasuke  
>  is everything okay?
> 
> **fake charlie’s angel** [ _8:16 PM_ ]  
>  I’m at the park.
> 
> **original charlie’s angel** [ _8:16 PM_ ]  
>  omw.

 

Upon Ino’s arrival, Sasuke was quiet. He stared at the river, calm and peaceful. It made Sasuke want to throw rocks at it. The silence lingered for a few more minutes before Ino broke it with a deep sigh.

“Just tell me the damage now before my heart bursts out of my chest.”

Sasuke turned his head to look at her. Ino did the same.

“Sasuke.”

“My father went straight to their room.”

“Okay…”

“My mother told me she already knew. Or had a feeling. It was after you came out to everyone that she had an idea. She always did think I had a thing for you because I allowed you to visit me too much. But when the whole town knew you were dating Sakura, it’s like the switched just flipped. We hugged, and she said Father would come around it eventually.”

“And how are… how are you?”

“I’m… it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, to be honest.”

The relief in Ino’s face was so evident Sasuke almost laughed. Instead, he offered a soft smile, the most genuine he could muster. “Christ, Sasuke. When you said you were at the park, it triggered my life or death distress signal.”

“Sorry. I called Itachi. He said he was proud of me.”

“I’m sure he is. He called me while you were having your dinner. He said to watch out for you. I told him that it’s Naruto’s job but I’ll let it slide for now because it’s a proud moment for the both of us.”

“He called you?”

“Yeah. We talked for two hours or something.”

“Oh, wow.”

“We weren’t worried or anything because we know you hate that.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

“Can I at least have a hug?”

“Fine.”

There was hesitation in Sasuke’s posture, but gradually, he loosened up. It wasn’t until he felt Ino rubbing circles on his back that he realized he’d been crying. His grip on her waist was tight, and he was almost sorry if he hadn’t felt such liberation from one of his greatest fears.

“I guess telling our friends is a different story, huh?” Sasuke said into Ino’s shoulders.

“I’m pretty sure more than half of us aren’t straight to begin with. Everybody already thinks you and Naruto are dating, anyway.”

“Which is the exact reason why I don’t say anything. They’ll expect we’re gonna start dating soon. _You’re_ gonna start expecting.”

“I am. I’ve been expecting for four years, Sasuke. You should know better than to make a woman wait.”

Sasuke leaned back, keeping his hands on her waist. “I really should. But I’m not interested enough to care.”

“Asshole.” Ino flicked him on his ear.

“Let’s go get ice cream. My treat.”

“Oh, Sasuke. When did our friendship get so deep?”

>  
> 
> ** Messenger **
> 
> **original charlie’s angel (Online)**
> 
> Sun, 03/26/2017
> 
> _original charlie’s angel changed fake charlie’s angel’s nickname to out of the closet, into the fire_
> 
> **out of the closet, into the fire** [ _12:45 AM_ ]  
>  Thats excessive.
> 
> **original charlie’s angel** [ _12:45 AM_ ]  
>  ssh **  
> ** good night
> 
>  
> 
> Wed, 03/30/2017
> 
> **out of the closet, into the fire** [6 _:38 PM_ ]  
>  It’s from my father.
> 
> _[out of the closet, into the fire sent a photo](https://fauxchef5.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/june-038.jpg) _
> 
> **original charlie’s angel** [ _6:42 PM_ ]  
>  holy shit  
>  congrats my dude
> 
> **out of the closet, into the fire** [6 _:43 PM_ ]  
>  Thanks.
> 
> **original charlie’s angel** [ _6:45 PM_ ]  
>  bring some to school tomorrow.  
>  i want some
> 
> **out of the closet, into the fire** [6 _:50 PM_ ]  
>  He just talked to me.
> 
>  
> 
> **original charlie’s angel** [ _6:51 PM_ ]  
>  OHMYGOD  
>  WHAT IDD HE SAY
> 
> **out of the closet, into the fire** [6 _:51 PM_ ]  
>  HE TOLD ME NOT TO BRING ASSHOLES HOME  
>  AND NOT TO LET THEM BREAK MY HEART  
>  BECAUSE HE’LL BE “UNFORGIVABLE”  
>  ASDFGHJKL  
>  HE WENT STRAIGHT BACK TO THEIR ROOM FUCK
> 
> **original charlie’s angel** [ _6:51 PM_ ]  
>  SAKURA AND I R CACKLING  
>  URE SO OUT OF UR ELEMENT I CANT  
>  EVEN YOUR KEYBOARD SMASH IS FUCKIN STIFF
> 
> **out of the closet, into the fire** [6 _:52 PM_ ]  
>  He looked so constipated.  
>  Did that just happen?  
>  I almost choked on my cake.
> 
> **original charlie’s angel** [ _6:52 PM_ ]  
>  OHGOD
> 
> **out of the closet, into the fire** [6 _:52 PM_ ]  
>  Mom just asked me if I broke my father.  
>  She won’t stop laughing.  
>  I think I broke both of them.
> 
> **original charlie’s angel** [ _6:53 PM_ ]  
>  i feel so bad for itachi  
>  he missed one of the greatest uchiha family moments
> 
> **out of the closet, into the fire** [6 _:55 PM_ ]  
>  I sent him a video of our mother.  
>  She’s still giggling.  
>  BRB I have to help with dinner.
> 
> **original charlie’s angel** [ _6:58 PM_ ]  
>  sure  
>  tell them all hi for me
> 
>  
> 
> Sat, 04/08/2017
> 
> **out of the closet, into the fire** [ _2:51 PM_ ]  
>  Dunkin donuts.  
>  My treat.
> 
> **original charlie’s angel** [ _2:53 PM_ ]  
>  be there in 15.

 

Sasuke took a sip of his coffee before speaking. “I’m gonna ask him out.”

“Finally.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> so there is going to be a sequel that focuses more on sasuke's current and future relationship status with naruto, but i have a feeling it won't be soon. let me know how you think! :) hope you enjoyed reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it!


End file.
